Parneshia Jones Appointed President of Cave Canem's Board of Directors

Parneshia Jones Appointed President of Cave Canem's Board of Directors

We are thrilled to share that Parneshia Jones—author of the collection of poems Vessel, published in 2015 by Milkweed Editions—has been appointed the next president of Cave Canem's board of directors. Her term as president began October 1, 2017, and she is preceded by that of Jacqueline Jones LaMon, who held the office from October 2015 to late September 2017. Previously, Jones served as board secretary.

Cave Canem was founded by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady in 1996 to remedy the under-representation and isolation of African American poets in the literary landscape. The nonprofit's extensive programming and publications have greatly impacted the American literary landscape, and include three book prizes delivered in partnership with five prestigious presses, fellowships, community-based workshops for emerging and established poets, and a vast range of events, seminars, and lectures.

Jones calls Cave Canem a “major muscle in the humanity of our literary community,” and an institution that continues to “redefine the arts.” Her collaborations with Cave Canem have exemplified her enduring support of the organization’s affiliated poets, and allowed for the Cave Canem Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize, a second-book award that publishes work of lasting cultural value and literary excellence.

Vessel was an Oprah.com pick for 12 Poetry Books to Savor. In addition to studying creative writing at Chicago State University, earning an MFA from Spalding University, and studying publishing at Yale University, Jones has been honored with the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, the Margaret Walker Short Story Award, and the Aquarius Press Legacy Award.

“The responsibility of the writer” Jones says, “is to write the human in the world. In these times, artists have to show up and be part of bringing us back to our humanity. The writer doesn’t look away.”

A supporter of numerous other poetry organizations across the globe, she is also a member of the Affrilachian Poets. Jones currently serves as the Poetry Editor and Sales and Community Outreach Manager for Northwestern University Press/TriQuarterly Books. She lives in her hometown of Evanston, Illinois, and claims Chicago as her artistic capital city.

Parneshia Jones is the author of Vessel, chosen as “One of 12 Books to Savor” by Oprah Magazine. A member of the Affrilachian Poets, she serves on the board of Cave Canem and Global Writers. Jones currently holds positions as Sales and Subsidiary Rights Manager and Poetry Editor at Northwestern University Press.

Affectionate, dynamic, and uncommonly observant, this collection mines the richness of history to create a map of identity and influence. In the South, “lard sizzles a sermon from the stove”; in Chicago, we feast on an “opera of peppers and pimento”—and between the two lies a wealth of family stories and portraits.